Slash or Smash

by Dee Garcia

Raven Vexley is that pumpkin spice in hand, cozy sweaters on repeat, and a deep love for all things spooky. Fitting—or maybe a little on the nose—considering she lives in Hollow’s Moor, a small town where Halloween starts at the end of August and doesn’t let up until November’s last breath. Most years, Raven and her friends spend All Hallows’ Eve party-hopping and chasing thrills, but this time, after a few drinks and half-hearted scares, they decide to switch things up.

An escape room.

The Lock Box is the Moor’s newest haunt. Owned by a stepbrother duo who take Halloween as seriously as the rest of the town, they’re dressed in full slasher gear and awaiting their next victim when Raven and her giggling, tipsy crew stumble through the front doors. After the girls select the Haunted Mansion experience, the pseudo-brothers walk them through the rules, ending with a cryptic

If the walls shift and your party is scattered, do not turn back. The manor favors those who move forward…

It’s all laughs until the lights cut out and Raven suddenly finds herself alone, cornered and vulnerable with Ghostface and Jason. Her pulse says scream, run, but something about the way those soulless, masked eyes look at her as they close in makes it all too They’re playing a new, chilling game—and she’s the grand prize.

Slash… or smash?

Genres: Halloween, Novella, Dark Romance, Holiday, Why Choose, Smut, Romance

46 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 2, 2025

About the author

Dee Garcia is a voracious fan of romance novels and a long time lover of the written word. Her mission is to craft unique, compelling stories that will give her readers a place to briefly escape the trials and tribulations of everyday reality. With headstrong heroine's who don't need a man to stand on their own two feet, Dee hopes to leave her mark in the Indie world, one plot twist at a time.

Reviews

[Salma (inactive) · Rating 1 out of 5]

⤿ rating: 1 star
⤿ age: 18+
⤿ spice: 3.5/5


I read this because it was super short, and I'll never pass on any novella for the sake of my reading goal. However, I hated every second of it. This is a why choose and one of them literally slapped her while they were doing it, so this was a big NO from me. Also, the writing was shit. The side characters were annoying, too.

[Aimee Tea Reads📚 · Rating 2.5 out of 5]

No plot, but I knew what I was signing up for, so I won’t comment😂😂😂

[Kendra Renae · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️5 🌶️5


HELLOOOOOO two step brothers? Ghost face and Jason Halloween novella with smut, smut and more smut? Whew baby I’m sat🧎🏾‍♀️‍➡️.

This was a spicy quick read and I loved every bit of it and the representation for curvy girls was everything as well👏🏾. We support baddies of all sizes!

[ㅤlili♡ · Rating 1.25 out of 5]

The writing is so bad and it's too short.

[Heather myfriendsdontread · Rating 4 out of 5]

A smutty Halloween novella involving a girl stuck in an escape room with two guys in a Ghost Face & Jason mask. So obviously it’s a good time.

My only complaint is that I just wish it would have been longer and we could have seen the characters reconnect at the end. But that’s a good problem to have, when you like a story so much you wish it was longer.

I also really liked some of the funny & sarcastic quotes in this one too. They made me smile as I read it.

[Evoli · Rating 2 out of 5]

this just wasn't for me preference wise (not the theme, escape room, and the masks, these were spot on... it was the rest of how it all played out)

[LollyDolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spicy Halloween panic room antics with a pair of masked stepbrothers. Not bad. 🤭😆

[CrazyGal609 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I saved this for my birthday, it’s definitely a TREAT 😈😈💋
With 2 very yummy Tricksters 🧡🖤🧡🖤🧡
MFM/MMF, ⚔️, 💋, 👅, 🍆DVP🍆, and more yummmy goodness, definitely a “smuttylicious read”
⭐️⭐️⭐️Points for Condoms⭐️⭐️⭐️
🦇The Escape Room HauntedHouse would be fantastic to do in general
💋💋💋Naughty, Naughty, Naughty … Yes Please 💋💋💋
🖤Love the Cover❣️

[Shay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two stepbrothestepbrother, halloween, and very good spice. Perfect short read.

[fae in chaos · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

mega diferente este escape room 😂
boa novela de halloween com masked men 👀

[nichie j.c · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why did I need to know that they’re brothers and that they sleep with each other

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t hate 100% of this and it had so much potential. But out of 46 pages I wanted to dnf at 30ish. Some of it is so cringey.

[Xanny Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️ — Slash or Smash by Dee Garcia

Raven lives for Halloween, so when her friends drag her to The Lock Box’s new haunted escape-room experience, she’s all in. Inside, they meet two masked men, one dressed as Ghostface, the other as Jason Voorhees, who turn what should’ve been jump scares into a dangerously seductive night. The story leans more on heat and atmosphere than on plot depth, using the Halloween setting to blur the line between performance and reality.

I gave this one three stars mostly for the setup, the haunted-house premise was fun, and the stepbrother duo dressed as Ghostface and Jason were the highlight.

The idea of them running the escape room and sharing partners had potential and gave the novella its edge.
Where it lost me was the female main character and her friends; they came off flat and a little irritating, which made it hard to stay invested. It’s a quick, spicy

Halloween read if you’re here for masked men, brotherly chaos, and seasonal smut but don’t expect much beyond that.

[Vanessa ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

[bella fazzati · Rating 1 out of 5]

ewwww 💀

[Julie Denise · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ok but can someone tell me why these grown ass women in their 30’s were at a college frat party in the beginning?!

[Daniela Gonçalves · Rating 3 out of 5]

𝐒𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐡 𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐡 – 𝐃𝐞𝐞 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐚 | ★★★☆☆

~ Esta é uma novella de halloween why choose e reverse harem com 2 mmcs (stepbrothers e mascarados) e 1 fmc, super curtinha (46 páginas) e divertida, com muitoo smut 🔥🔥
Por isso não leiam à espera de grandes plots ou de grande desenvolvimento das personagens.

~ Basicamente a nossa fmc vai para um escape room com as amigas, e acaba presa lá dentro com os nossos 2 mmcs (jason e ghostface) e ai tem a sua "recompensa" (se é que me entendem 👀 )

"𝑰𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒔 𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒇𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒚 𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅, 𝒅𝒐 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒓𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒎𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅…"

~ O inglês é acessível, tem o POV dos 3 e cumpre o propósito de entreter sem ter que se pensar muito e é perfeita para entrar no espírito de Halloween.

[bella.s_stuff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ohh well… that was one hell of a Halloween night. 😂🔥

A boring party, a haunted escape room, two masked men, and a very specific mask kink. GIRL. Raven definitely got more than she bargained for when she decided to go out that night! 😂

I really enjoyed Raven’s personality and her sarcastic sense of humor. I also loved the Halloween atmosphere, especially the haunted mansion setting. It was such a fun concept for a short Halloween novella, and I flew through it in one sitting.

If you’re looking for a quick, spicy Halloween read with masked men and plenty of chaos, this might be just what you need! 🎃🖤

[KaylaLaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun novella! This takes place on Halloween in a haunted house-themed escape room. It’s between our FMC and two stepbrothers MMC’s (drool). It was just a quick, fun, spicy good time. I actually wish it was a little longer. I will definitely check out the rest of this series when the other holidays come around.

[Rune · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, spicy, and you can inhale it in one sitting! I know I did in under an hour. 😉

I really liked the characters and had been looking forward to checking this out. I wasn't disappointed and hope to find more time to check out the author's work. ☺️

Notes: Check the author's notes. If you need depth and heavy plots, this one may not scratch that specific itch. I'd recommend checking it out either way because I think Dee did a great job! 🖤

[Kristen S · Rating 5 out of 5]

I mean what a short little read! The spice was great and I get this is a novella but a little more to it would have been perfect! But still it told a quick and easy story and it was a whole vibe. Really liked it!

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️. Short, sweet, and very much to the point! I loved the concept of the story being in an escape room and having masked men? Yes, please. Before entering the room, the hint was there, but will they listen? 🙃 I enjoyed this one!

[thesubplot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Smash for sure.

[Lucy Cottee · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first Novella, Too much smut and not enough plot for me, personally. It was however well written and a very quick read. The author did warn about the lack of plot.

[Rpvbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75!!

[Sharon💜🫈 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spicy, Quick, & Spooky all wrapped up. I loved it all!

[lauu 𖤐⭒ · Rating 2 out of 5]

a quien no le molaría hacer un trio con ghostface y jason? 🫦🫦🫦🫦🫦

[bookgirlbrandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and sexy - just how I love my holiday novellas! This series has yet to disappoint me!!

[Inês Gomes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well that was fun! Cute and spicy novella that was good for a palate cleanser.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loveeeee!!! Spooky and smutty with a plus sized fmc.